EMILY’s List, a national group that supports Democratic women running for office, endorsed Rep. Mikie Sherrill’s bid for governor of New Jersey on Monday, just hours after she announced her campaign.

In a statement first shared with NBC News, Jessica Mackler, president of EMILY’s List, highlighted Sherrill’s military service and her time in Congress, adding that the group hopes she will become the first Democratic woman to serve as governor will serve in the Garden State.

“In the U.S. Navy and in Congress, Representative Sherrill has demonstrated her unwavering commitment to serving our country and the people of New Jersey. Her record of passing bipartisan legislation to drive down health care costs, lower taxes for New Jersey residents, and fight for our reproductive rights is clear. We are very pleased to have Rep. Sherrill and elect New Jersey’s first Democratic female governor,” Mackler said.

Sherrill, a former Navy helicopter commander and former federal prosecutor who flipped a Republican seat in 2018, joins an already crowded Democratic field.

Last week, fellow Rep. Josh Gottheimer announced his bid for governor, and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop are also running.

The race, one of only two gubernatorial elections scheduled for 2025, is expected to draw significant attention and spending. Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, is term-limited and cannot run for re-election, leaving room for eager Democrats to take over the governor’s mansion.

All eyes will be on this race and the race to succeed Glenn Youngkin, Virginia’s GOP governor, next year, as these off-year elections are often seen as indicators of how voters are reacting to the first year of a new presidential government.

Sherrill is the first woman to compete in the race in New Jersey. EMILY’s List also endorses Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., who is running in Virginia’s gubernatorial race.

The organization has previously supported both women’s congressional campaigns.